Our project is built around the concept of genetically programmed aging.

Skulachev ions project (or SkQ project) is a coordinated effort to develop a pharmaceutical intervention that would able to slow down or even stop the execution of aging program in human organism. Our goal is to prolong the health span - period of healthy, productive and happy living. There is a lot of data indicating that the process of biological aging is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), generated in the most important cellular organelle – mitochondrion. We based our work on the assumption that a controlled decrease in mitochondrial ROS production may result in deceleration of aging and at the same time may help with treatment of various age-related diseases.

We have created a potent mitochondrially targeted antioxidant SkQ1 to counter excess of mitochondrial ROS and developed several pharmaceutical formulations based on this active compound.

The project is based MoscowStateUniversity and operated by the university spin-off company Mitotech. Many laboratories, CROs, clinical hospitals in Russia, US, EU, Australia and other countries participate in the research and development of SkQ-based pharmaceuticals.